Music for the Twelvetide: the Twelve Days of Christmas! PART 1
Josh Rodriguez
by Frank Felice
“On the first day of Christmas………” Yes - I know the words of the song (and so do you, having heard it every year since 1781). But it seems to me that most of us in these United States really don’t know what the twelve days of Christmas are, or indeed when they’re celebrated. I know that I and many of my friends assumed that they were the twelve days leading up to the 25th of December instead of Christmas Day being the first day of the twelve. Since many of the best of the carols (in many languages) focus on Advent, I decided to investigate the music that might tie in to the various ‘labeled’ days of the twelve days of Christmas, especially pieces written by art music composers. What is the music from the time between Christmas day and Epiphany? Most often these are associated with various feasts, most often celebrated in churches with established calendars and saints. Here is a very unofficial sampling with some history and some commentary.
December 25 - Christmas Day – Day One
So much music! This is the day we celebrate the birth of Yeshua, whose name became changed over a few centuries, but whose coming into our physical plane is celebrated with great joy. The sacred music alone over the centuries is represented by music of nearly every genre and style. Early Christmas music is known from fourth century Rome (Veni redemptory gentium), and carols written in the vernacular language were encouraged by Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. (Indeed, the carol The Twelve Days of Christmas is an oldie, written in ca. the 18th century – with music as we know it in the late 19th cen. Ha! Wikipedia gives a nice listing of the variants from all of those days – this is an excellent list.) There is so much great music down through history, and not just western music. But from Ambrose of Milan to composers of today, there is great music out there: Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ, Mozart’s Sleigh Ride (wait, what?! – Yes - last of the Three German Dances, K 605), and some little piece by Handel…… Yet, the one piece that I always loved to play at Christmas was the concerto by Arcangelo Corelli subtitled Fatto per la notte di Natale. It’s often played by younger musicians, and not so often mentioned alongside the greats. Yet, for me it is the one piece that properly settles me into Christmas.
December 26 - Feast of St Stephen (Boxing Day) Day Two
In the United States, we do not celebrate this holiday or feast with any enthusiasm, nor have composers written much serious music to celebrate the feast day of Stephen, acknowledged as the first martyr of the Christian faith. Nor have they written any secular pieces for Boxing Day (although Blink 182 seems to have one…. Reliant K’s Boxing Day song is dreary hearkening towards spring (already!?) instead of celebrating winter … oy…). No, the music most associated for this day is a traditional English carol, whose music was written in sixteenth century Finland (Tempest adest floridum, whose original text was included in Carmina Burana…), with new words written for it by John Mason Neale in 1953. Good King Wenceslas tells the tale of the Czech King trudging through the snow with his page to bring alms to one of his poor subjects. This page wishes to turn back due to the weather, but they succeed, with the page following in the King’s footsteps. This carol is well known to all of us, although most folks cannot remember the lyrics past the first few lines……..
Extra – First Sunday after Christmas - Feast of the Holy Family
This feast day is celebrated in honor of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as a family, and is typically held on the first Sunday following Christmas Day, presenting them as a model to Christian families. Oftentimes it takes the place of some of the lesser feasts (see Becket Fest and Egwin Fest below). In paintings and sculpture, the theme of this feast can be the flight of Jesus, Mary and Joseph into Egypt following the angel of the Lord’s warning. There is a lot of music for this celebration, but not a lot of art music – most music takes the form of chants in the proper of the mass, and often the texts can be parts of the Bible that focuses on family. This particular introit chant focuses a lot on the father and mother of Christ (Pater tuus and Mater tua), while also exalting in Christ.
December 27 – Feast of St. John the Evangelist - Day Three
The feast of John the Apostle is celebrated by Catholics, Lutherans, and other western churches, although most of the orthodox churches celebrate his feast day in September. Music specific to this feast day is quite rare, and often includes familiar hymns that feature texts including post-natal events. Holst’s In the Bleak Midwinter, a setting of Christina Rossetti’s poem, is often included. Benjamin Britten included this carol in the fifth variation of his early choral variations A Boy is Born, combining it with the Corpus Christi Carol. (Someone ought to write some specific music for the Feast of John the Evangelist….)
Dec. 28 – Feast of the Holy Innocents (Childermas) - Day Four
This is a commemoration of the massacre of children ordered by Herod after he was outwitted by the Magi, celebrated on various days by different denominations. Some of the earliest music written for this commemoration was written as early as the fifth century. The most famous piece of music associated with the event of the massacre is of course, the so-called Coventry Carol, whose text is from the 14th century, and music from ca. the 15th century. Michael Haydn’s Vesperae pro festo SS Innocentium in F major (K IV:5), MH 548 is one of the few pieces written specifically for this feast day. I cannot find much about this composition’s genesis other than many comments about how Michael never received the credit due to him (living in his big brother’s shadow), and that Mozart very much admired his work.
Dec. 29 – Feast of St Thomas à Becket - Day Five
So….. there doesn’t seem to be an official church feast day for this date, but in a few places, it is given as the feast day for Saint Tomas Becket, the famous Archbishop of Canterbury. His feast day was added in the Middle Ages, but it is considered by the Anglican church to be a lesser feast, rather than Principal Feast (and obviously not celebrated by many other denominations outside of Angelicanism). Hmmm. But wait - there’s a Becket Carol! The words are from the 15th century, but music is by composer Stephen Barker (a recording produced by an internet choir during lockdown).
Dec. 30 – Feast of St Egwin of Worcester (who?!!!) – Pope St Felix I – Day Six
Wait, who? Saint Egwin was born in the 7th century in England and died on 30 December 717 at Evesham Abbey, Mercia (England). He was a noted moralist whose churchgoers complained about him, so he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome to appeal to the pope. He prepared for his journey by locking shackles on his feet and throwing the key into the River Avon. In Rome, as he prayed before the tomb of the Apostle St. Peter, one of his servants brought him this very key—found in the mouth of a fish that had just been caught in the Tiber, allowing Egwin to unlock himself from his shackles. Why does he get a Feast? Why not my namesake Pope Saint Felix (Felice) I?
Fine. Let’s sing Adeste Fideles for this feast. Different verses apply to different days of Christmas…… the Holy family is still in Bethlehem right? “Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above! Glory to God, glory in the highest: O come, let us adore Him, (3 times now…) Christ the Lord.”
PART 2 will be published next week!
